Fluid jet devices operate by ejecting fluid from one or more orifices. A fluid jet device may be specially designed and the fluid specially selected for any of numerous different applications. For example, a fluid jet device may be designed to eject ink such as in a print head.
During operation of fluid jet devices such as ink jet printers, the fluid ejection orifices sometimes become obstructed with fluid residue. For example, in some ink jet applications, soon after a droplet of ink is ejected from an orifice, ink starts localized drying, sometimes referred to as skinning-over, at and around the orifices. Ink frequently splatters in the area of the orifices and begins drying on the print head.
The aggregation of ink in the vicinity of the jetting orifice(s) can cause the orifices to become clogged and/or cause deflection of ink that is jettisoned from the orifices. The aggregation of fluid residue is particularly troublesome for fluids that begin drying quickly after ejection from an orifice. For example, non-porous inks that are used in some ink jet printer applications are quick to begin drying and tend to be much harder after curing than other types of inks.